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Now wrestling must work to stay in Games

Sometimes, opportunity is dressed as adversity. Sometimes, change walks in lockstep with a healthy dose of peril. And sometimes, success reveals itself in beads of stress-fueled sweat. The world of wrestling

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Sometimes, opportunity is dressed as adversity. Sometimes, change walks in lockstep with a healthy dose of peril.

And sometimes, success reveals itself in beads of stress-fueled sweat.

The world of wrestling exhaled Sunday morning — from the farm communities of Iowa, to the the vast tundra of Russia and dusty streets of Iran — when the International Olympic Committee announced the sport had muscled itself back into the Olympics for 2020 and '24.

Sighs of relief spilled out in a colorful spray of languages and addresses for a sport with federations in 177 countries.

"We're in the process of building a bigger and better sport in the future — and it's easier to do with success than a loss," said Olympic gold medalist and legendary coach Dan Gable. "We've taken steps, but moving forward in the future is better with a win."

Wrestling learned a lesson it failed to realize it needed back in February, when the IOC's executive committee planted a motivational boot squarely into the rump of FILA's lethargic leadership and removed wrestling from a list of 25 core sports.

The decision jump-started a seven-month process that caused wrestling to examine itself down to its very soul, questioning its gender-equity efforts and revamping a jumbled, head-scratching set of rules. The sport began to overhaul itself in all ways imaginable — down to the decision to remove the yellow mats it competes on because the color translates poorly on television.

If those who guide wrestling's Olympic future relax, however, another unnerving walk across the cliff's edge could be waiting.

In the world of today's Olympics — NBC's deal to carry the next four Games alone is worth nearly $4.4 billion — even credentials that include competition in the first global sports gathering back in 776 B.C. falls short of a sure-fire insurance policy.

"It's amazing," said Iowa State wrestling coach Kevin Jackson, a 1992 gold medalist, "that we put ourselves in this position."

It was a stunning revelation that the former leadership of FILA, wrestling's governing body, failed to attend the IOC meeting in February that bounced it from the group of core sports — given that about 15 miles separated the two offices.

Gable, earlier this year, characterized the situation as an example of the sport dozing off instead of focusing on the ever-evolving homework the IOC requires of sports it allows into the world's most coveted club.

John Smith, Oklahoma State's wrestling coach who won a stunning six consecutive Olympic or world championships as a competitor, used his ears to develop a strategy for the future.

"The message I heard was that wrestling should be leading, not trailing — not following," he said. "We should march forward with every effort to make sure wrestling is a leader."

Wrestling needs applauded for quickly making rules more understandable and creating incentives that invite more offensive action. Creating a "6-6-6" system of weight classes — six each for men's and women's freestyle, and Greco-Roman — increased opportunities for women and showed an immediate commitment to the type of gender parity the IOC craves.

Undoubtedly, creative thinking about lighting, music and other elements that amplify excitement for other sports will grow audiences as well.

This Olympic bid sprint, however, now must transition into a marathon.

Tougher questions must be asked about what will fulfill an even higher potential for a sport both linked and, until now, seemingly locked in its past.

For starters: Make sure the most compelling characters and storylines shine longer in the limited spotlight, turning one-day Olympic runs into multiple days. Charismatic champion Jordan Burroughs, who won gold last August at the London Olympics, competed in a single day.

Track and field parades Jamaican star Usain Bolt across more days and in more ways, ensuring continually fed streams of worldwide media coverage unavailable when competitions are condensed brief, 24-hour bursts.

Wouldn't wrestling benefit from Burroughs wrestling and talking, talking and wrestling, another day or two?

Track, to its credit, has maximized the ability to successfully market itself, to build relationships with all-powerful decision makers and manage its own significance. Does anyone think a television sweetheart like track ever would face the prospect of its Olympic wheels falling off?

Even though wrestling won on Sunday, more competitors and matches surely lurk in the wings.

The celebration must be brief — because it's time for a sport that was forced to re-examine itself to work harder than ever.